Fence-post.



PATENTED APR. 25, 1905. J'. R. COVBY.

FENCE POST.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.20.195.

T @AWM/Q No. 7E 8,024.

Patented April 25, 1905.

UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

JOHN lt. COVEY, OF L'IZTON, INDIANA.

FENCErPOST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 788,024, date'd April25, 1905.

Application filed Peblltly 20, 1905. Slial No. 246,579.

zen of the United States, residing at Lizton,

in tbe county of Hendricks and State of lndiana, have invented certainnew and useful lmprovements in Fence-Posts, of which the following is aspecification, reference being' had therein to the accompanying'drawings.

'.lhis invention relates to certain new' and useful improvements interminal or end and corner fence-posts constructed of cement, concrete,orother plastic self hardening' or solidifyingl material, the mainfeatures of which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularlypointed out in the claims.

The object of this invention is to constructa self-contained orself-supporting terminal or end or a corner post having an integ'ralbase or Vfoot portion of such form of construction as will the mostetfeetually resist the resultant stress or pull of the fence-wires,which strain or pull tends to drawsuch a post (corner or terminal)upwardly out of the ground and draw the same out of alinement or out ofperpendicular, also to provide said base of said fence-post with anupper projecting' portion or spur and an opposing' lower or base portionor spur, which spurs take up the component resolved 'forces of theresultant forces of the Vfence-wires applied to the post-base to beresisted by the earth beneath and above thespurs, respectively. l attainthese objects by means of the form of construction of the base orfoundation of fence-postillustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich similar numerals of reference designate like parts throughout theseveral views.

Figure l is a side elevational view showing my construction of a cementfeneepost and the integral base or foundation thereof. Fig. '2 is an endelevational view of the same lookingl in the direction of the arrowlf'.(See Figs. l and i.) Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view of the same, takenthrough the line A B. (See Figs. l, '2, and l.) Fig. 4c is a sectionalelevational view of the same, taken through the line C l). (See Figs. 2and 3.)

This invention relates particularly to fenceposts constructed of cementor concret-e, and the main feature thereof consists in the form andconstruction of the integral base or foundation thereof, and whichlatter is peculiarlyr I constructed and adapted to resist the combinedstresses or pull of the wires and be maintained in its perpendicularposition relatively to the level of the ground without the interventionof bracing'.

The end or terminal postl is of concrete or cement` preferably formedwith one vertical side somewhat more inclined than the other"- that is,the side of the post subjected to compression due to the combined pullof the fencewires.

.lhe base portion 2 of the post l is embedded in the ground, and acore-rod 3, preferably of metal tapering from its base or bottom towardits top end, extends centrally along and within the center of the postlto Vform a stiffening-core therefor. The core-rod 3 is pret'- erablytapered, so as to provide a cross-section corresponding with theinternal stresses of the cement post, which is also tapered and inclinedfor the same purpose.

The fence-wires l may be of any type of fence-wire and of any numbersecured at their ends in any suitable manner to the post 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the resultant forces ofall the fence-wires 4t will be equivalent to a concentrated forceapplied to the post at a point intermediate its ends approximately inthe vicinity of the arrow u and be applied in the direction of thelatter. This force will therefore tend to pull the top post in thedirection of said arrow fr and will gradually operate to draw the postout of the ground, and this imperfection in the construction offence-posts can be partially remedied by constructing the post with anexceedingly long base to be deeply embedded in the ground and providinga diagonal strut or brace for counteracting the pull of the wires. Thismanner of construction, however, is not only expensive, but alsounsightly. .ln order that this imperfection be wholly overcome, lprovide new means to the base of the fence-post whereby the resultantYforce of the entire pull of the fence-wires applied to the terminalfence-post l is decomposed into two other elementary forces, one in thedirection of the arrow the other in the direction of the arrow CZ,applied to the base directly beneath the surface of the ground (seeparticularly Fig. 1) and which act and are applied at points distantfrom the vertical axis of the base or bottom portion of the post beneaththe surface of the ground, and said decomposed elementary forces areresisted or counteracted by the earth adjacent and surrounding the baseof the post. Vith this object in view l construct the base 2 of saidpost l with an upper projecting portion or spur 5, which is formedintegral on the fence-wire connecting side of the post l and formedthereon to project at right angles therewith and situated on said postso that its top or horizontal surface will be level with the surface ofthe ground when the base of the post is embedded therein. To this spur 5is applied the component force, which acts in the direction ofthe arrowwhich force is resisted by the surface of the earth covered by thebottom horizontal surface thereof, as represented by the arrow c.

At the opposite side of the base 2 of the post l-that is, the sideopposite that where4 on the top spur 5 is formedeis the foot or basespur 6, the top side or surface 7 of which is inclined with the horizon,while the bottom side 8 thereof is horizontal to form an extendedsupporting-base for the bottom end or foundation of the post 1. To theinclined top side or surface 7 of the spur 6 is applied the otherelementary component upwardly and outwardly directed force, which forceacts in the direction of the arrow (Z, as previously described. Thislatter component is effectually resisted by the counter-resistance ofthe earth, which acts in the direction of the arrow e, which, as will beseen, acts at right angles to the inclined surface 7 of the spur 6. Thisprinciple of foundation-securing means may be extended, as shown indotted lines in the plan view Fig. 3, to apply to corner fenceposts,which are subjected to a compound stress-that is, when two series offence-wires pull at right angles to each other, as shown by the arrowsand rgwhich forces are effectually resisted by the disposition of thespurs and 6. Having thus fully described this my invention, whatI claimas new and useful, and desire to cover by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates therefor, is-

l. Acne-piece fence-post comprising an upper vertically-extending' postportion and a lower downwardly-extending integral foundation or baseportion, of an integral projecting or spur portion situated at andextending from one side of the top of the base on the strained or wireside of the post and having its under Hat side extending at a rightangle with the vertical center of said post.

Q. A one-piece fence-post comprising an upper vertically-extendingportion and a lower base portion, said upper vertically-extendingportion expanding or tapering toward its base on the fence-wire sidethereof, of an integral projecting or spur portion situated at andextending from one side of the top of the base portion on the fence-wireside thereof to have its top surface on a plane with the level of theground and projecting at right angles with the vertical center of thepost, and an opposing base-projecting portion or spur situated on thebottom end of the opposite side of said base.

. 4. A one-piece fence-post comprising an upper vertically-extendingportion and a lower downwardly-extending integral foundation or baseportion, said upper vertically-extending portion expanding or taperingtoward its base on the fence-wire side of said base, of an integralprojecting or spur portion situated at and extending from one side ofthe top of the base portion on the fence-wire side thereof to have itstop surface on a plane with the level of the ground and projecting atright angles with the vertical center of the post, and an opposingbase-projecting portion situated on the bottom end of the oppositesideof said base and having an inclined upper bearingsurface and a lowerfiat base-surface.

5. A one-piece fence-post comprising an upper vertically-extendingportion and a lower downwardly-extendingintegral foundation or baseportion, said upper vertically-extending portion expanding or taperingtoward its base on thel fence-wire side of said base, of an integralprojecting' or spur portion situated at and extending from one side ofthe top of the base portion on the fence-wire side thereof to have itstop surface on a plane with the level of the ground and projecting atright angles 'with the vertical center of the post, and an opposingbase-projecting' portion situated on the bottom end of the opposite sideof said base and having an inclined upper bearingsurface and a lowerflat base-surface on a level with the bottom end of the base of thepost.

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In testimony whereof I aiiix mysignature in

